Another attempt in Bangladesh to shut down a liberal voice

Dhaka, July 7: When Maulana Fariduddin the chief cleric at the main Mosque at Kishoregenj collected 100,000 signatures against the increasing number of extremist attacks, it had become quite clear that he had become a target of those who have misinterpreted Islam.

Today the attack in Bangladesh according to the police may have been aimed at him and his liberal ideology.

The cleric has issued statements galore against the recent wave of attacks in Bangladesh by extremists and this had not gone down too well with a particular section. His description of the extremists as those who followed empty Islam too had been criticised by the extremists.

A message to the liberals:

The police suspect that he may have been the target. Whether or not the attackers were targeting him directly or trying to send out a message is unclear. However what one can draw out of this prima facie is that it was a message to the liberal cleric.

This yet again another sign of the constant tussle within the system in Bangladesh where the radicals are trying to beat down the liberals.

Take the agenda of the ISIS, al-Qaeda, Ansarul Bangla Team or the Jammat-ul-Mujahideen. Each one of them speaks about a radical approach and how the Sharia must be implemented. Every attempt has been made to shut down the liberal voice in Bangladesh.

As former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing puts it, " Bangladesh is fighting a battle against the radicals. They have shown every intent to shut down voices of extremism. India must help Bangladesh in a big way now."